When Francisca and Lester Maldonado came to Arizona in 2012, their son Samuel was born shortly after they arrived. But there was little cause for celebration at the time. Due to health complications, Francisca was placed into a coma for two weeks. The child was their fifth, and they were new to the area. Income was also restricted, as Lester was not able to secure work yet. Living in a one-bedroom apartment with Francisca’s sister, the family of seven was in a desperate situation.

While tending to his newborn and helping his wife through her recovery, Lester and his family were referred to Healthy Families Arizona (HFAz), an accredited evidence-based prevention program to help expecting families get their new child and family off to a healthy start.

“When they approached me in the hospital, I was going through a really tough situation and I thought it was a great idea. We were new to the community and I figured I could use all the help at that moment,” Lester said. “If you’re willing to work with them, they will help you. This really was the beginning of a new life.”

Turning it all around

HFAz, which sees approximately $6.2 million in funding from the Arizona Lottery each year, assigned a family support specialist to visit the family weekly. The specialist’s primary goal was to make sure bonds between family members and Samuel were strong and that the parents were understanding the importance of child nutrition, reading to Samuel and making sure his developmental milestones were met. The specialist also referred Lester and Francisca to other support agencies that could help the family sustain itself through this trying time.

“Through the whole process they helped us make goals that would fit us and not overwhelm us, goals that we could meet,” Francisca added. “Little by little, they were there for us the whole way. After [Lester] started working, we got somewhere else to live. … The next goal was getting a home and we eventually did that, too.”

Lester eventually found work in the local manufacturing sector where Francisca had found a job as well. With two incomes and the support of HFAz, they were eventually able to buy a home in nearby Arizona City. The support specialist even referred the couple to reliable sources to educate them on the home buying process.

“That was a big help, too. We didn’t understand all the papers when it came to buying a home,” Francisca added. “I think that was really above and beyond what she needed to do for us.”

“They would come to the house and tell us about so many resources. You don’t even know they’re out there,” Lester added.

Healthy families, healthy results

HFAz is based on a nationally-accredited model. Now in its 26th year, HFAz reaches more than 4,500 families throughout the state annually. The program receives referrals from valley hospitals, doctors’ offices, WIC, other health-related agencies and through word-of-mouth. Families can enroll from the prenatal stage or up to 90 days after a child is born and stay in until the child is five years old.

HFAz sees incredible results. Families report a significant improvement in many mothers’ ability to cope with stress, problem solve, and improve their commitment to parenting. This helps with other indicators like: 99 percent of parents understanding the importance of locking up household poisons, 100 percent using car seats, 89 percent of children receiving first-year immunizations, and 96 percent of parents having no substantiated DCS (Department of Child Safety) report. Within two years after a child’s birth, 47 percent of mothers are employed full-time while only 27 percent are employed full-time at the child’s birth.

“This is not only about the child or infant’s health, it’s about family outcomes,” said Amy Hodgson, statewide program manager for HFAz. “What makes the Healthy Families program so unique is the intensity of in-home services.”

For young Samuel, who tested into kindergarten early and will enter first grade in the fall, the family’s graduation from the program is bitter sweet.

“He still always asks for his teacher (family support specialist),” Francisca added. “We’re also going to miss all the family functions they did. We met a lot of people in the community. We really liked it.”

To learn more about how the Arizona Lottery supports critical social service and health programs in Arizona, visit ArizonaLottery.com.

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